Henrique Velozo

In the early morning hours of August 7, 2022, a fatal incident at Esporte Clube Sírio in southern São Paulo claimed the life of Leandro Lo, a multiple-time BJJ world champion who had accumulated eight world titles throughout his competitive career. Lo was 33 years old at the time of his death. The shooting drew immediate and widespread grief from both the Brazilian and international jiu-jitsu communities, which mourned the loss of one of the sport's most celebrated figures.

Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velozo, a lieutenant in the São Paulo Military Police, was identified as the shooter and charged with triple-qualified intentional homicide. He surrendered to Military Police Internal Affairs on August 8, 2022, and was taken into custody. A subsequent investigation by the 16th Police Precinct in Vila Clementino referred the case for indictment, alleging homicide with futile motive.

Accounts of the incident were sharply contested from the outset. Prosecutors maintained that Velozo provoked the confrontation, returned to the scene, shot Lo in the head, and then kicked him. The defense presented a contrasting narrative: that Lo executed a baiana (double-leg takedown) on Velozo, that Velozo kept his hand on his service firearm while pinned and briefly lost consciousness, and that he discharged his weapon upon perceiving Lo advancing toward him again while a separate individual attempted to seize the firearm.

Following his arrest, Velozo was held at the Romão Gomes military prison while awaiting trial. As of October 17, 2025, a court order had temporarily reinstated him to the Military Police force pending the trial's outcome, entitling him to a monthly salary of approximately US$2,400 during his pre-trial detention.

Prosecutors had previously sought to transfer Velozo to a standard penitentiary, but that effort was suspended pending final judgment in the criminal case. He was ultimately transferred from Romão Gomes to a civilian facility in October 2025, ahead of the scheduled trial proceedings.

Trial Proceedings

The jury trial commenced on November 12, 2025, at the 1st Jury Court of the Ministro Mário Guimarães Criminal Forum in Barra Funda, São Paulo. Judge Fernanda Jacomini presided over the three-day proceeding, which concluded on November 14, 2025, with an acquittal. At least four of the seven jurors accepted Velozo's self-defense claim, meeting the threshold required under Brazilian jury procedure. Prosecutors had sought a minimum sentence of 20 years.

Defense Strategy and Testimony

Velozo's defense was led by attorneys Renan Canto and Cláudio Dalledone. With permission from Judge Jacomini, Velozo used a replica firearm equipped with a laser sight during his courtroom testimony to physically demonstrate his account of the events and the trajectory of the shot. He testified that Lo took him down with a baiana (double-leg takedown), that he maintained his right hand on his service firearm while immobilized on the ground, that he briefly lost consciousness, and that he fired upon perceiving Lo advancing toward him for a renewed attack. The defense leveraged the laser-equipped replica to argue that the projectile's trajectory would have differed had Lo been standing upright at the moment of the shot — supporting the contention that Velozo fired from a grounded position consistent with a self-defense scenario.

Following the acquittal, both the prosecution and Leandro Lo's family announced their intention to appeal the verdict and publicly criticized the outcome.

Reinstatement and Public Apology

On November 18, 2025, Velozo was officially reinstated to the São Paulo Military Police and resumed his rank following the acquittal. One day prior, on November 17, 2025, his legal team released a video statement in which Velozo publicly apologized to Lo's family and supporters. In that statement, he self-reported having spent approximately three years and three months incarcerated while awaiting trial.

Administrative Removal

The reinstatement proved short-lived in its administrative effect. On December 1, 2025, the Official Gazette of São Paulo State published an administrative order based on a unanimous decision by the Military Police's Justification Council. That order removed Velozo from active duty, prohibited him from wearing the Military Police uniform, and reduced his salary to one-third of its full amount. Velozo's legal team subsequently told CNN Brasil that they would await the final resolution of the administrative proceedings and were studying measures to challenge the decision. Notably, administrative proceedings under Military Police internal conduct standards operate independently from the criminal case and are not bound by the jury's verdict.

As of December 2025, criminal appeals filed by prosecutors and by Leandro Lo's family remain pending before the Brazilian courts.